My Lord Hades (22 page)

“I’m sorry, Demeter, but no one has seen Persephone.”

Zeus sighed and tried to focus on the problem at hand. He was King of the Gods and was

responsible for those under his control, regardless of how distasteful the problem. “How do you know she did leave on her own? It’s not the first time. Persephone always had an adventurous spirit.”

It was the best explanation of what happened. No one was foolish enough to abduct a

goddess whose power would never allow her to be subdued for long, so the only other

explanation was that she ran away from her overprotective mother.

Demeter’s eyes shone brightly with angry tears. “I heard her screams. She didn’t leave

willingly. Someone kidnapped her! And I think you know who!”

“Who, Demeter?” He laid a hand on her shoulder. “I know this is hard for you to hear, but who would be foolish enough to kidnap a goddess. Maybe it’s time to let her go.”

She choked on an outraged cry. Shaking her head vehemently, she said, “No! She’s still a child.”

“She’s six-hundred-years-old.”

“What does age matter to an immortal? She has centuries more to mature.”

He closed his eyes for a brief moment and released a long breath, hoping she would begin to think logically. “We both know that’s not true, Demeter.”

“She didn’t run off! Someone took her! Who was it, Zeus?”

“I’m not involved. I’ve enough problems to deal with, without adding Persephone to them.”

When she looked like she was going to protest, he held up his hand to stop her. “Listen. If she was a child, I would search for her. But she’s not a child anymore. She’s a grown woman. She’s a goddess. She’s capable of handling things on her own.”

“No!” She trembled as more tears streamed down her face. “You don’t care for your children anymore than you do for the women you sleep with.”

Zeus rolled his eyes at her melodramatic anger. He had no patience with unreasonable

goddesses. It was bad enough that he had Hera harping on him about his behavior and Hades blaming him for his bride’s disappearance. “That’s not true. It’s just that are some things even I can’t control. Like free will. When she’s ready she’ll return to you.”

“I know you have something to do with this, Zeus. But even if you didn’t, mark my words

well. Until my daughter is returned to me, nothing will grow. The world you know will remain in constant flux. The voices of thousands of mortals will beg for your mercy.”

Demeter pivoted and stalked out of the chamber, her back ramrod straight. He sighed and

shook his head. Irrational, unreasonable women. Why Hades wanted one, he’d never know.

Ares was the first to move. “Sports it is. I have to go.”

He bolted for the door and the others followed him with excuses of their own. All except

Aphrodite. She sat on her throne, watching Zeus with knowing eyes. He almost wanted to ask her what secrets she kept, but she shook her head. She wasn’t prepared to impart them.

Aphrodite rose from her throne in a graceful move that might have been seductive had he

been in the mood to appreciate it. “Well, that was highly entertaining,” she said.

Zeus glared at her. “Did you want something?”

“Did it ever cross your mind that Demeter might be right, Zeusy?”

“Who would capture a goddess and be able to hold her?”

“You mean, who would be able to capture magic-bound Persephone and hold her? Apollo.

Hermes. Ares. Poseidon. Not to mention any Titan and mortal in the world. Persephone doesn’t just lack her memories but her magic. She wouldn’t be able to escape a stick hut.”

“But...How could she do that? The gods are born with the abilities of magic?”

She sauntered toward him, a hand on her hip. “Unless?”

“Demeter wouldn’t!”

“Wouldn’t she? To keep that girl so innocent and with her for eternity after what happened?

After all no one knows what occurred in the palace after Coronus came for her.” She patted his cheek. “It’s okay if you don’t understand, Zeusy. You’re only breeder, not a parent.”

“I have more children than you.”

“And you raised how many?”

He shrugged.

“But you’re right. Demeter didn’t do it. She doesn’t have the strength.” She walked away, her hips sashaying. At the doors she turned to him. “Oh, I almost forgot. Hades may feign innocence, but he knew our dear Persephone before he asked you for a bride.”

The doors closed, leaving him alone with his unsavory thoughts. Hades knew Persephone?

He’d directed the conversation. He’d pressed Zeus until he named a bride he wanted. The

bastard!

“Hades!”

Even before he finished calling the gods name, Hades appeared. The god looked absolutely awful. He was covered in cuts, dirt, and blood. “What do you want?” he snapped.

Zeus glared at him. He had no doubt that Hades was behind Persephone’s disappearance. He

was a brute, a cold hearted god with power behind him, but he wasn’t known for abusing

women. Despite the rumors, Hades’ first wife was an unfortunate accident of youth, not a

deliberate attempt at murder.

“What have you done?”

“What do you mean?” Hades snapped.

“Persephone!” Zeus clarified. “Where is she?”

“In the Underworld,” Hades confirmed, not even pretending to misunderstand. “I claimed

one of your daughters, our deal is sealed. Now if that’s all. I have other business to attend to.”

And then the god of the Underworld was gone, leaving Zeus to rain curses down upon the

empty air.

PERSEPHONE WAS suffocating, trapped, helpless. She had to get out of here. She had to

escape the Underworld and the man that brought her to such confusion.

She loved him. She hated him. She wanted him. She wanted nothing to do with him.

Veering off the main path and sprinting down the path leading to the River Styx, Persephone took the high path along the river bank and toward the cavern wall. Ahead of her was the

glimmer of faint light and the open gate.

Her heart raced. She was doing it! She was escaping! She was going home!

One minute, she was running and the next she was slamming into something hard. She

bounced off with a yelp, landing on her backside. She didn’t need to look up to know who had stopped her. She could feel the power rolling off of him. She could almost taste his anger.

She glanced up. Hades glared down at her, arms folded across his broad chest. He didn’t offer to help her up. “What are you doing?” His voice was low with a hint of a warning.

“Escaping,” she snapped. “I’m tired of this. I won’t stay here and you can’t make me.”

“As long as you are without magic, you aren’t safe out there.”

“My mother will protect me—”

“Really? I don’t remember her being very useful when Apollo came for you.”

She frowned and stood, brushing the dirt from her dress. “What are you talking about?

Apollo never—”

He took a step toward her. She quickly took one back, suddenly uncertain.

“All I want is for you to be safe in the world you’ll be returning to.” His voice softened and his scowl disappeared, making him seem sad. “I care about you, Persephone. I don’t want you hurt.”

She scoffed, “You’re keeping me here against my will.”

“It wasn’t the way I wanted it to be.” He took another step toward her. “It wasn’t that long ago you were happy to see me.”

“That was before you abducted me!”

“Do you remember seeing me at Mount Olympus?”

She stepped back. “Yes.” And she recalled how excited she’d been to see him.

He took another step forward, making her back up again.

“Do you remember Apollo coming to you in your garden?” he whispered.

He took another step in her direction. She stepped back and ended up with her back pressed to the cavern wall. She jerked in surprise. She couldn’t move forward, and she couldn’t go back.

He trapped her. Again!

He leaned closer and she couldn’t stop herself from breathing deeply of his masculine scent mixed with sandalwood and vanilla.

“No. He was never there.”

She cringed at the breathiness of her voice. She tried to run through the list of his sins, but when his lips brushed over the hairs of her neck every warning she’d ever been given, dissipated, and she didn’t know how bring them back. Or even if she wanted to. Something in her wanted this, craved this, and hungered for this contact.

Her eyes closed as his warm breath tickled the side of her neck and a delightful shiver ran the length of her body.

“Do you remember me coming to your mother’s garden?”

She stared at him, her heart thundering in her ears, terrified, not because he might hurt her, but because her body was reacting to the memory of the night in the garden, the pleasure of his touch and the wanton way she’d reacted.

She shook her head, trying to focus on the question. “Why do you ask questions that you

already know the answer to?”

He inched closer and she leaned back. She didn’t want to enjoy the sinful feel of his strong arms wrapped around her, or the touch of his hand on her waist, or his body pressed against hers.

She didn’t want to want him.

“Because I don’t know the answer.”

He had to be joking or telling a very bad lie. She forced herself to look into his midnight eyes and nearly lost herself in the beauty she saw in his face. She wet her lips and his gaze dropped.

She almost lost it then. Her hand was mere inches from his face. She wanted, no, needed to explore him. She shook herself, striving for distance, and focus.

“Only that you came to the garden.”

“And after that?”

His breath caressed her ear, making her skin tingle. She must keep a clear head.

“I returned to my room and fell asleep. When my mother returned she was frantic and

wanting to leave.”

The heat of his body warmed the chill of her soul. The caress of his energy against her stole her breath. She leaned toward him and warmth spread through her limbs. She body tingled. Her head felt light. She didn’t want to give in, but her body wasn’t listening. It had a mind of its own, and it wanted the man before her.

Curse her body! It completely betrayed her. It was wrong to enjoy being with someone who

held her captive. It was wrong to love the man who stole her from her life and dragged her to his home. If only he’d asked her to marry him!

Would she have accepted his offer of marriage if he’d made it? Heaven help her, despite all her protests, she knew she would have. Even now, knowing he couldn’t be trusted, she wanted to be with him. She wanted to love him and be loved by him.

She was the worst kind of fool. She was a pawn in a game between Hades and Zeus. She was

a passing curiosity for him to toy with. Hades didn’t care about her.

His lips brushed her neck. A wicked thrill coursed through her body. He was wonderful when he wanted to be. Gentle and sweet. Altogether lovely.

She felt safe with him. But she wasn’t. She’d been warned about him and she’d do well to

heed those warnings. If only she could remember what they were.

Her head fell back, granted him greater access to her neck. She sighed as he kissed his way to the sensitive skin of her throat. He licked a small path and he blew softly upon the path of his wicked tongue. She shivered, thoughts of protest melting away. Only he existed, and he was the only one who mattered.

His lips brushed hers, teasing her. He pulled back. She stared at him, realizing he was asking her permission. If she was going to stop him, now was the time. He’d promised not to touch her unless she invited him, and though she hadn’t said the words, her traitorous body spoke for her.

She leaned forward and kissed him.

His tongue tracing her lip and she opened her mouth, sparing with him. She wanted to

explore the wide expanse of his strong chest, the planes of his face. But all she could do was hold her sandals and kiss him.

This felt good. This felt right. This was where she belonged.

Hades pull away and she protested, belatedly realizing the sound of thunder was actually the echo of horse’s hooves on the stone pathway and not her heart. She glanced around Hades and saw Thanatos riding a pale stallion.

He held no reins in his hands and yet the horse halted before them. “I hope I’m interrupting something good.”

She ducked behind Hades, her cheeks warm. She pressed her face into his back. What had

she been thinking?! She’d been warned, if she had sex with Hades, she was his wife in truth and could never leave.

And would that be such a bad thing?

Yes!
But the adamant refusal wasn’t the powerful declaration she hoped.

She should be ashamed of betraying her mother for a moment’s pleasure. But she wasn’t. If anything, she wanted more of it, and yet, she must never allow it to happen again. She pulled away from Hades.

“The furies are wrecking havoc on the world. Shifts in weather have caused desperate acts from some of the mortals. The furies were punishing the guilty for their transgressions, but now they’re harming the innocent as well as the guilty.”

Persephone had no idea what the furies were, nor did she know what weather shift Thanatos referred to, she just knew she wanted out of this place and back to her garden where everything made sense. Where men didn’t kidnap women and her body didn’t melt at a touch of Hades’ lips.

“I have to handle this. May I see you when I return?”

She blinked and nodded. She couldn’t escape his presence forever. “There will be no more

kissing or touching.”

He shrugged and nodded his agreement. “Later.” Before she knew what happened, he flashed

her to her solar.

“PERSEPHONE AND you seem to be getting along well.”

Hades sighed and turned to a grinning Thanatos. “I don’t know. One minute she’s hot and the next minute she’s cold.”

“That’s a woman.” Thanatos chuckled, a far-away look in his eye. “It’s what makes them so frustrating and endearing. Besides, if she really wanted to leave, she would. Even you would have difficulty holding a goddess against her will.”